The First Automatic Heuer Carrera: The Original Racer's Watch Takes A Step Forward

Heuer has always had a strong tie to racing. Their Jarama,Camaro and Monaco are named after a track, a car, and the town in which a race takes place, respectively. It is the Carrera though that has consistently proven to be Heuer's strongest selling race-inspired watch. After all, it was the first Heuer product to ever have its own brand that consisted of more than one model.

We have featured a few Carrera's in the past (including this Carrera Dato 45), but never an automatic version. The watch we found for here is just that, an original Heuer Carrera with an automatic movement. This watch was first released in 1969 with a non-manual movement and we believe this particular piece to be circa a few years after that, in the early to mid 1970s.

We love the blue dial on this watch against the fluorescent hands and markers. It also comes with a shark skin bracelet, which is either original or very similar to the original strap used on these Caliber 12 Carreras.

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Friday March 3, 2012

HODINKEE is one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Launched in 2008 by then 25-year-old Benjamin Clymer, the site quickly gained notoriety for earnest looks at some of the industry’s most interesting, and occasionally forgotten timepieces.